One of the more exciting additions to the prospect pool this summer was defenseman Haoxi Wang, who the San Jose Sharks selected in the second round at 33rd overall in the 2025 draft. He is known for his impressive mobility for his 6’6″ frame, but is still a somewhat raw talent. As we mentioned with Leo Sahlin Wallenius in the last post, defensemen take a longer time to develop, so it will be a few years before we can expect to see Wang with the big club and making an impact, but that’s not for a lack of potential.
Wang has already committed to start his freshman season in 2026-27 at – you guessed it – Boston University. It will be an excellent program for him to grow his game over the next few years and see how he can adjust to playing against older competition before throwing him in against professionals.
What made Wang more notable within the overall NHL draft class was that he became the highest-selected player born in China in NHL history, and just the third to be drafted. Wang was born in Beijing and fell in love with hockey as a 4-year-old after watching one of his friends on the ice. Thankfully, his mother started a rink-building company around the time he was 10 years old, which gave Wang access to ice time at an early enough age to develop good fundamentals. He moved to the Toronto area around the time he was 12 years old, where, within just a few seasons, he moved up from club AAA, to the OJHL and to the OHL during the last season. It is incredibly impressive that within about five full years that included the entire COVID pandemic and its shutdowns on hockey, Wang adjusted to an entirely new culture and country, played highly competitive hockey for the first time, earned a hockey scholarship at one of the best NCAA programs, and became a second-round pick in the NHL.
Wang played just 32 games of major junior hockey before being drafted by the Sharks this summer, with the majority of his scouted games over the past two years being in the OJHL. It will be very interesting to see how he takes yet another leap into the unknown, though based on his track record, he should fit in quite well as a BU Terrier soon enough.
Position: Defenseman
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 223 pounds
Age: 18
Date of Birth: July 27, 2007
Draft Year: 2025 (33rd overall by San Jose Sharks)
Shoots: Left
2025-26 Team: Oshwa Generals (OHL)
What we like
When planning out a Cup-contending team, you need a reliable, two-way defenseman, and Wang has the potential to become just that. At 6’6″, he is the tallest prospect the Sharks have, and could, along with 6’4″ Shakir Mukhamadullin, provide a rangy presence on the back end. Especially considering his size, Wang is a good skater with a “smooth skating style and good edge work.” This mobility can help him compensate for slow reads, and along with his reach, Wang should be able to make up for defensive mistakes more readily than others.
His ability to adjust to new environments, proven over his lifetime and in his young hockey career, is an unquantifiable asset as well. While he doesn’t yet have the experience necessary to play in the AHL or NHL, Wang could be able to adapt faster than expected.
Areas of improvement
Wang needs more high-level experience. The OJHL, where he spent the majority of his time between age 15 and 17, is still a step below the OHL and the NCAA. Another season at the OHL level will start to give Wang that experience and the jump to Boston next season will offer him the next step.
At Boston, Wang will be tasked with defending against older players and, with the latest change allowing some CHL players to opt for the NCAA, some tier talent such as Gavin McKenna. Wang has been described as “raw” in many scouting reports, which essentially means he has the tools but needs development in his decision-making and in his play against higher-skilled players.
What’s next for Wang?
Wang has risen in the ranks seemingly quickly since coming to North America from China. While it is not confirmed, Wang has one more season before he’s scheduled to join the Terriers at Boston University. We expect that he’ll return to his OHL team, the Oshwa Generals, but not before spending some time with the Sharks at training camp. Wang should get some time to learn with the Sharks, taking part in the upcoming rookie faceoff tournament and get some reps in with the Sharks coaching staff before he’s returned to his OHL club.
Next season, he’ll join Boston University. Wang will need time and games to get used to playing against older competition. Keep an eye on his details as this first season takes hold in New England. How much does Wang create space with his skating against a faster forecheck? How does his first pass and decision-making look against more experienced NHL prospects? What does his deployment look like later in the season?
Highlight
Here is a shift during his short stint with the OHL’s Oshawa Generals last season, starting at 5:04 of the video. Wang, #7, starts net front after tying up a Steelheads’ player, then joins the rush as the Generals regain possession. You can see how well he accelerates for a skater of his size on this rush. He continues down into the zone and, instead of pulling up near the blue line to be available from a drop pass, glides past a Steelheads back-checker and receives a pass. Once he has the puck, Wang makes a nice cutaway move and sets up a good chance that is broken up. He is then the first defenseman back, coming all the way across the boards just in time to slow the Steelheads’ rush the other way.
Previous Top 25 Under 25 Posts
19. Leo Sahlin Wallenius
20. Jack Thompson
21. Cole McKinney
22. Zack Ostapchuk
23. Mattias Havelid
24. Egor Afanasyev
25. Carson Wetsch
Honorable Mentions: Joey Muldowney, Jake Furlong, Brandon Svoboda, Nate Misskey, Gabriel Carriere
